Winter storm packs little punch, no snow

(Franklin, GA) — The highly anticipated winter storm has come and gone without much fanfare, at least in the Heard County area.

Temperatures remain very cold with the high Saturday only anticipated to be around the low to mid 30’s, but the area experienced very little if any frozen precipitation or snow overnight.

According to Heard County dispatch, there have been no reports or problems on any county roadways, but residents are still urged to use caution and be on the lookout for icy patches, especially on small secondary roads.

There are issues with travel and power outages in other parts of the state including the metro Atlanta area, so be cautious if traveling away from the area today.

Gov. Nathan Deal today cautioned Georgians to remain patient and off the roads in affected areas while state agencies continued working to keep roadways safe, restore power and responding to winter storm damage needs.

No fatalities have been reported and the state’s Emergency Operations Command remains open. The State of Emergency remains in effect until 11:59 a.m. Sunday, January 9.

Georgia Department of Transportation treated approximately 7500 miles of roads and interstates with brine and salt from Thursday through Saturday morning. Georgia Power reported approximately 10,000 outages across the metro Atlanta area as a result of the weather system. Crews are actively restoring power at this time.

Temperatures are expected to dip down into the high teens tonight and into early Sunday morning before reaching highs in the low 40’s Sunday. Temperatures should again fall into the low 20’s Sunday night.

Later this week, temperatures are expected to climb back into the 70’s with no freezing temperatures at all over the next 12-15 days.

Stay tuned to HeardCitizen.com for further info and updates if and when they are warranted.